Super Drake
by anubislover
Summary: Chopper gets lost while shopping on Sabaody, and X Drake finds himself unexpectedly signing an autograph.


Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Super Drake

"Nami? Robin?" Chopper called, glancing around the busy shopping district of Sabaody. He'd been momentarily distracted by a candy shop window; there was a cotton candy display shaped like a giant sakura tree. He'd spent a few moments drooling over it before he realized Nami and Robin—who must not have realized he'd stopped—had disappeared into the crowd.

The pint-sized pirate tried to duck and weave between the legs of the various people that walked past, but for the most part he just ended up bumping into them and getting knocked around. Besides that, with his height, it was hard to pick out Nami's bright orange hair or Robin's sharp features in the crowd. He considered transforming into his larger humanoid form, but that risked frightening unsuspecting shoppers.

So, he was stuck on a busy street, lost, with no idea where his crewmembers might have gone or if they even realized he was missing.

The little reindeer started to panic, running back and forth, crying for his _nakama_. His little hoof caught a stray stone, and with a yelp he pitched forward, blue nose bumping hard into the ground as he fell on his face. "Ow!"

"Are you ok?" came a deep, unfamiliar voice.

Whimpering and trying not to cry from embarrassment, Chopper nodded as the stranger helped him up. "Fine. Just lost," he said with a sniffle, straightening his hat. He shouldn't cry. Zoro never cried when he got lost. Probably because he was used to it, but still.

Composing himself and knowing he should thank the man before trying to find Nami and Robin, the small doctor looked up.

And up.

And up a few more feet until he finally could see the face of an enormous masked man frowning down at him with concern. He had an X-shaped scar on his chin, red sideburns, and a hard jaw, and his skintight, leather outfit was all blue, except for a black and red cape.

The man's brow furrowed beneath the shadow of his pointed hat. "A tiny thing like you in this crowd? Of course you're lost."

Nervous and a little ashamed, Chopper kicked the ground lightly, knocking the pebble that had tripped him across the street. "It's not like I meant to," he grumbled under his breath.

"Are you trying to get to a specific place?"

"No, just trying to find my _nakama_. We got separated."

The crowd gave the large man and tiny reindeer a wide berth, making it far easier for Chopper to get his bearings, but he still couldn't see much over everyone's heads. At this rate, he'd have to climb onto a roof or something in hopes of spotting his friends, but that didn't mean his tiny legs would be fast enough to catch up. Perhaps he could turn into his full reindeer form…

Chopper jumped as the stranger replied, "Dangerous thing to happen in a place like this." Crouching down so they could better speak face-to-face, he peered at him inquisitively. "Now I know where I've seen you; you're the Straw Hat's pet. What are you, if I may ask? Zoology's a hobby of mine, but I've never seen anything like you. Are you a breed of tanuki?"

"I'm a reindeer and the ship's doctor!" he snapped, stomping one of his hooves in annoyance. It was bad enough the Navy classified him as a pet instead of a full-fledged pirate, but people getting his species wrong was just as insulting.

"Ah. That explains the antlers. In my defense, I've never met a talking reindeer before."

"Have you met any talking tanuki's either?" Chopper countered.

With a chuckle, the man shook his head. "I suppose not. Nor have I met a doctor version of either. Straw Hat's crew is certainly an interesting one."

Chopper blinked as he finally registered that the man had recognized him as a Straw Hat, which meant he'd seen his wanted poster. Was he looking to turn him in? If Robin and Nami came looking for him now, would they be in danger? Hatchan had warned them that Sabaody was a dangerous place, with slavers and Marines and other unsavory folk. He started to sweat, realizing this man could very well be more dangerous than he seemed.

The man seemed to sense his concern. "It's smart of you not to trust so easily, but I promise, I'm only trying to help. I read about what Straw Hat did when Nico Robin was taken; I would be a fool to kidnap his doctor."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Chopper slowly nodded. "Ok. But if you hurt my _nakama_, it won't just be Luffy you have to worry about," he said sternly.

Lip twitching upwards for a brief moment, the man nodded solemnly. "I understand. Here," he said, grabbing the miniature doctor around the waist like a child as he stood, lifting him up so he could see over the crowd. "Can you see them?"

Blinking, Chopper took a moment to scan over the tops of the swarm of peoples' heads, grinning when he spotted Robin and Nami, who were looking around frantically. "I see them! About a hundred feet in front of us! Two human women—one has black hair and is carrying books, and the other has red hair like yours!"

The tall man lowered him down to rest on his shoulder. "Hold onto my cape. I don't trust you not getting stepped on or lost again before we reach your friends." Quickly, he pushed through the crowd, his large bulk easily cutting through the dense sea of people.

Settling against him and burying his hooves into the soft fabric, Chopper sighed in relief. "Thanks. What's your name, by the way?"

The man seemed to hesitate. "X Drake."

"I'm Tony Tony Chopper! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Drake!"

A small grin curled his mouth. "It's Captain Drake, actually."

"Oh, sorry about that. It's nice to meet you, Captain Drake!"

With Drake's long legs, they caught up to the Straw Hat women easily. Nami was practically beside herself trying to figure out where the little reindeer had gone to, muttering terrified ramblings about kidnapping and bounty hunters to herself. Robin was much more subdued, though from the way her arms were crossed, Chopper could tell she was concentrating on opening eyes and ears on every wall between there and where they'd last seen him.

"Excuse me, Miss? Is this yours?" Drake asked, gently tapping Nami on the shoulder.

Turning around, the navigator's face lit up in relief as Chopper was dropped into her arms. "Chopper!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly to her chest as if her were a lost teddy bear. "Oh my God, we were so worried about you! I'm so sorry; we thought you were right behind us!"

"You should be more careful, doctor-san," Robin chastised, but her smile and the gentle way she patted his head told him she was relieved he was safe.

"Sorry. There was a cotton candy display that caught my eye, and by the time I noticed you were gone, there were too many people in the way to see you. Good thing I had help!" he said, pointing at Drake.

Both women's eyes widened in clear recognition; the two were avid readers of the paper and were smart enough to keep an eye on potential rival pirates.

Nami hugged Chopper a little closer, ready to make a run for it, while Robin daintily crossed her arms again, her calm, polite smile never faltering. "Well, we appreciate you aiding our dear shipmate, Captain X Drake."

"Wait, you know him?" Chopper asked, innocently confused.

"Only by reputation," Nami replied, frowning suspiciously as her free hand drifted to the batons strapped to her thigh. She may not have been much of a fighter, but she was ready to pull out every trick she knew to protect her trusting crewmate.

For his part, Drake found himself wishing they had been as ignorant to his identity as a pirate as Chopper—it had felt nice, being looked up to again, even if just by a small reindeer. He fondly remembered children from villages he saved from pirates beaming at him, shamelessly following him around while whispering to each other about whether or not they should talk to him.

Since he'd become a pirate, those whispers had taken on a more fearful tone, and children didn't smile at him anymore.

Concerned at the sudden tension in the air, Chopper studied his savior closely. Sure, he was dressed pretty unusually, but he didn't look like a Marine, or even a pirate. At least, most of the pirates he'd met had been dressed far more comfortably. Maybe he was one of those "brave warriors of the sea" Usopp would tell him stories about? But then why would Robin and Nami be afraid of him?

A sharp wind blew past, lifting Drake's cape, and a particular story Usopp had told him popped into his head, making everything click into place.

"Wait…you're a superhero, aren't you?" Chopper asked, eyes lighting up with wonder.

"…a what?"

The younger pirate was too thrilled to notice the others' confusion. Of course! It explained everything! Usopp had told him about men who wore capes and masks, wandering cities helping people in distress. He always described them as big and strong in elaborate, skintight costumes, too. And it would explain why Robin and Nami were so on-edge; superheroes arrested criminals, and pirates typically counted, especially cat burglars and fugitives.

Despite the danger such a realization should have invoked, Chopper was too starstruck to care. "I got rescued by a real superhero! Captain X Drake!" he said excitedly, sparkles glimmering around his head.

"No, Chopper, he's—" Nami started, but Robin stopped her.

"Yes, thank you for your help, superhero-san," the archeologist said with a knowing smile, unwilling to dampen her friend's innocent excitement. Besides, Drake could have easily kidnapped their companion instead of helpfully returning him, and the poor man looked so utterly bewildered at the praise she couldn't help but be amused.

The Supernova blushed, and Nami, catching on, gave a cat-like grin. She was still suspicious, of course, but she trusted Robin's judgement. Plus, the little pirate in her arms was practically vibrating with glee, and it was easier to escape from a flustered man, anyway. "Oh, yes, thank you, Captain Drake!" she giggled with a wink. "You really saved the day!"

Still gazing at the man with wonder, Chopper gushed, "Can I have your autograph?!"

Drake sputtered in disbelief, "You want my autograph?!"

"Yeah! Usopp and Luffy'll never believe I met a real superhero otherwise!"

For a moment, he looked like he was going to refuse, but Robin's dangerous smile and Nami's protective glare made him faulter. His resolve weakened further when he looked down at the little reindeer's hopeful face. Tugging his hat down a little lower over his head in hopes that the shadow would better hide his blush, he replied, "I don't suppose you have a pen and paper?"

"Here, you can sign this," Robin said, pulling a piece of parchment out of her bag. She folded the top and bottom fourths before carefully ripping them off, handing the paper to him.

A large sweatdrop ran down the back of Drake's head. In his hands was his bounty poster, but with the WANTED and reward sections conspicuously torn off. He glanced up, ready to argue that this probably wasn't the best thing for him to sign, but Nami pointedly shoving a pen in his face kept him quiet.

With a sigh he carefully signed his name across the upper-right corner, handing it to Chopper to inspect. The small pirate's beaming grin could have rivaled the sun, and Drake felt his heart swell a bit with pride. The whole situation was ridiculous, but he'd endured worse than a little embarrassment.

And even if he hadn't, that smile would still make it worthwhile.

"An autograph from a real superhero," Chopper whispered with wonder, holding the poster gingerly so his hooves didn't risk smearing the still-wet ink. "Thank you!"

"You're…welcome. Be more careful and stick with your friends," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, after that little adventure, I think we need something sweet," Robin said, ushering Nami and Chopper down the busy street. Tossing a wink over her shoulder, she added, "And I'm sure superhero-san has many other people to save."

"Uh, yes, I um…need to go patrol the streets for evildoers," he replied lamely.

"You do that," Nami said, patting Chopper's head fondly. "Thanks again for helping our shipmate."

"Yeah, thanks again, Captain Drake!" the reindeer called over Nami's shoulder, waving one of his hooves eagerly, the other still tightly clutching the autographed poster.

With a wave of his own, Drake made his way back up the street, a small grin lifting the corners of his mouth. He was far from a superhero, but it was a nice reminder that, despite giving up his old life and reputation, he wasn't entirely a pirate, either.

End


End file.
